Newsarama has a bit up called How the internet saved comics, all about how use of the net has changed (or not changed folks' comic reading experience. It interests me, so I am talking about it.
I'm a big fan of the internet. I've been more or less actively on the net for, probably, fifteen years or so--ever since we could get it where we live. It's the best thing going for anyone who has interests that are at all fringe or unusual or alternative (whether this means politics, religion, or entertainment) because while there might not be anyone else in your small home town who loves Silver Age Green Lantern, there's surely someone in some other small town 900 miles away.
The pluses of this are obvious--the ability to create community with like-minded individuals, to gather information that wouldn't otherwise be available, to actually meet someone who doesn't seem vaguely bored at best when you're talking about why the new Legion of Superheroes just isn't the same. It's not the same thing as real life, of course, but it's better than reading the letters column of your favorite title once a month. Also, the fact that the internet is generally unfiltered--if someone wants to say something, they can say it. (Okay, that's not all good, but on the whole I far prefer my forums unmoderated.)
The disadvantages are also fairly obvious--for one, it's easy to get the impression that your own particular interest or focus is far more popular than it actually is. An active message board with hundreds of posters may seem like a strong indication that everybody loves Darkseid, but it doesn't. That's not necessarily a problem as long as you know that you're in a very small pond. Then there are the same problems with any form of electronic communication--the nonexistence of face time means that what you say is more likely than usual to be misunderstood or unclear. Again, not necessarily a problem if you recognize the flaws in the medium and make allowances.
So, how has my comic experience changed since the internet came along?
I read comics from the time I was a kid until the early 90s, all pre-internet. I picked up the hobby again in the early 00s.
BI ("Before Internet"): I got my comics first at a local newsstand, and later by mail from a store in another city--they sent me the solicitations once a month and I sent it back with any changes I wanted made to my standing order. Generally there were no changes and the order was the same every month.
AI ("After Internet"): I order my comics online, again several months ahead of time. Although I do still tend toward getting the same books every month without thinking a lot about it, I do try to look at what I'm getting, and I definitely watch for things I've seen online that interested me. The service I use has a decent search function, so I'll also check to see if favorite characters are appearing anywhere that mont.
BI: I pretty much just got the same comics every month. If something else looked good that month, I might pick it up, but didn't give it much thought other than "hey, this looks good." I did not know ahead of time that I would find something new and cool.
AI: I still get mostly the same comics every month, but I also hear about new and cool stuff ahead of time and make a point of watching for them. I don't know that I buy more comics, because I am also more likely to drop titles, even temporarily, if something doesn't appeal to me about them at the moment. I've also tried plenty of things (like all the DC books on my list) that I'd never have looked at if not for the internet.
BI: I read my comics mostly on my own. When I was in high school I had a friend who read X-Men and we'd talk about that, but she wasn't interested in anything else and AFAIK she gave them up entirely once she was out of school. My brother and I shared our comics to some extent but did not really discuss them other than occasionally making recommendations to each other. (That's still the case, actually.) Other than that, the only time I had any idea what other folks thought about comics was when I read the letters page--and believe me, I would be annoyed when a title would skip that letters page for a month! But on the whole, my opinions were my opinions, based almost entirely on my own reading of the books.
AI: I get to read all sorts of other folks' opinions of the books I read, and of the books I don't read. Sometimes the latter inspires me to try something new. I also pay a lot more attention to online comic news sites like Newsarama (and, to a lesser extent, comic sites like Marvel and DC) than I ever did to the Bullpen Bulletins, but I think that's mainly a function of age. I don't really know how much this colors my own opinions--I'd hope not too much--but certainly my attention is now drawn to things that it wouldn't be otherwise (thank you WFA!).
BI: I had no idea what would happen in my comics until I actually held them in my grubby little hands. Period.
AI: Due partially to the once-a-month thing, I am often well spoiled with regard to at least some of my comics. Please note that I don't usually mind this--I find that the internet fosters impatience to a surprising degree--but it does make for a different experience.
BI: I went to get my comics once a week when I was younger. (Once a month when I used a mail service.) I'd read the comics, put them in their boxes, and probably not give them a lot of thought until the next Friday. (Friday was when my mom drove my brother and I to the newsstand. :)) I might read some back issues during the week but there was, of course, no new comic content in my life between Fridays.
AI: I get my actual comics once a month. However, I read about comics every single day. (And write about them.) I read news about upcoming books, reviews of existing books, opinion pieces on various issues--the flow of information is constant. I don't know if that means they are a bigger part of my life, but I'd say they're a more constant part of my life.
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